White Sox top prospect Noah Schultz didn’t have the type of season he hoped for in 2025. The former first-round pick struggled with command while dealing with lingering tendinitis in his knee for the entirety of the 2025 season. After a strong and healthy showing in spring training, however, it felt like Schultz’s big league call wasn’t too far away as the 2026 season got underway. That call may be coming even sooner than anticipated. According to reports, the 22 year-old Schultz will be joining the White Sox for his big league debut on Tuesday when they return home to face the Tampa Bay Rays.
The White Sox are calling up top pitching prospect Noah Schultz to make his MLB debut on Tuesday, sources tell @JustBB_Media and @FutureSox.
— Elijah Evans (@ElijahEv8) April 12, 2026
The 22-year-old lefty has pitched to a 1.29 ERA with 19 K through 14 innings this season in Triple-A.
Noah Schultz's dominant start in Charlotte was the writing on the wall
Schultz began the season with Triple-A Charlotte, where he looked healthy and dominant in his first three outings. In 14 innings, Schultz allowed just two earned runs, walked two and struck out 19. His fastball sat 96-97 and touched 99, and his offspeed pitches seemed to gain back the bite they lost last season. After a stint in Triple-A in 2025 saw him struggle to a 9.92 ERA in five starts, Schultz looked like a completely new pitcher at the Triple-A level, and it was all the White Sox needed to see to make the move.
Schultz has yet to exceed 80 pitches in an outing this season, so the White Sox may be cautious with his innings right off the bat, but the hope is for him to throw as many innings as he can at the big league level this season and be a key part of the rotation moving forward. Schultz’s promotion continues a trend of aggressive promotions from the White Sox over the past couple years, with players like Edgar Quero, Colson Montgomery, and Chase Meidroth not spending long minor league stints last year before their promotions.
Schultz will join a pitching staff that has been surprisingly effective in recent days. White Sox starters have a 1.66 ERA over their last nine games, but the team is just 4-5 in that stretch as the offense has become stagnant. With Opening Day starter Shane Smith now headed for a stint in Charlotte, the White Sox have a spot in their rotation for their former first-round pick that they’re hoping he’ll permanently hang on to.
For White Sox fans, the arrival of top prospects was one of the main reasons for excitement in 2026, and the first one will come early. Schultz ranks as the #2 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s White Sox top 30, and several publications have him in the top slot. He’s a premiere talent with the upside of a legitimate ace in major league baseball, and is the most exciting pitcher debut for the White Sox in several years. With fellow top pitchers Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal slated to get the call at some point this season, there should be more exciting call-ups to come.
Hopefully, Tuesday’s outing will be the first of many dominant outings on the South Side for Noah Schultz, who White Sox fans hope will be a key part of the team’s plans for many years.